La Casa de la Mujer

This multi-functional building provides a space for traditional crafts activities and the use of information technology for the Saharawi people of Tindouf. The space is organised as a simple square crossed with a central corridor and covered with a barrel vault, distributed into four rooms. Two small inner courtyards are accessible from the rooms and have openings to the outside. The building is constructed using local materials (mud brick), with local labour and technologies. The 40 cm thick walls, domes and barrel vault ensure good levels of thermal insulation, and there are claustra windows with brick grids for protection from sun and wind and to encourage air flow.